What to know about the MAC Basketball Tournament 2022: TV, streaming, bracket information
The 2022 Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament begins Thursday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland as No. 1 seed Toledo takes on No. 8 Central Michigan at 11 a.m.
The men's MAC Championship Game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Cleveland.
Kent State, which closed the season by winning 14 of its last 15 games and 12 straight wins is the No. 2 seed. Defending tournament champion Ohio, which beat Virginia in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, is the No. 3 seed. Akron is the fourth seed.
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The men's tournament, which is sharing the arena with the women's tournament that begins on Wednesday, has four games set for Thursday. The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the MAC Tournament.
Here's what to know about the MAC Tournament in 2022.
What is the MAC Basketball Tournament schedule
Here are the pairings for both men's and women's games:
Women
Wednesday
(1) Toledo vs. (8) Ohio, 11 a.m.
(4) Northern Illinois vs. (5) Ball State, 1:30 p.m.
(2) Buffalo vs. (7) W. Michigan, 4 p.m.
(3) Akron vs. (6) Bowling Green, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Toledo-Ohio winner vs. No. Illinois-Ball State winner, 10 a.m.
Buffalo-W. Michigan winner vs. Akron-Bowling Green winner, 12:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 11 a.m. (CBS Sports Network)
Men
Thursday
(1) Toledo vs. (8) Central Michigan, 11 a.m.
(4) Akron vs. (5) Buffalo, 1:30 p.m.
(2) Kent State vs. (7) Miami, 4 p.m.
(3) Ohio vs. (6) Ball State, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Toledo-Central Michigan winner vs. Akron-Buffalo winner, 5 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
Kent State-Miami winner vs. Ohio-Ball State winner, 7:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
Saturday
Championship game, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Is MAC Tournament 2022 streaming?
Yes. Men's and women's games will be streaming on ESPN+ and Paramount+. The women's championship game will be on the Paramount+.
Thursday's men's basketball games will be streaming on ESPN+, while Friday games will be streaming on Paramount+.
The men's final is streaming on ESPN+.
Is the MAC Tournament on TV?
Both championship games are on networks, with the women's team playing on CBS Sports Network, which is also available on Hulu Live streaming services. Friday's men's games are also on CBS Sports Network.
The MAC Championship Game will be aired on ESPN2.
MAC Tournament 2022 predictions
ESPN Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi currently has Toledo, the No.1 seed in the MAC Tournament, as the 13 seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. In Lunardi's projections, Toledo is the automatic qualifier for the MAC.
CBS' Jerry Palm predicts Toledo as a 13th seed as well.
USA Today also has Toledo as a 13th seed.
On the women' side, ESPN bracketology expert Charlie Creme has Toledo, the top seed in the women's bracket, winning the tournament and receiving the automatic qualifier.
Will any MAC basketball teams get an at-large NCAA Tournament bid?
It's unlikely.
The MAC is traditionally a one-bid league and neither Lunardi, Palm or USA Today include another team from the conference.
Where does Kenpom rank the MAC basketball teams?
Ken Pomeroy, one of college basketball's most well-respect and often sourced advance metrics analysts for men's college basketball, ranks Toledo as the No. 75 team in college basketball. The highest ranking in the MAC.
Here's where the eight MAC basketball teams rank at Kenpom.com:
75: Toledo
119: Ohio
123: Buffalo
136: Kent State
150: Akron
259: Miami
264: Ball State
320: Central Michigan
Bowling Green, Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan ranked higher at Kenpom than Central Michigan, but failed to qualify for the MAC Tournament.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: MAC Basketball Tournament 2022 bracket, streaming, TV schedule
